Abstract

Doing any kind of sport or physical exercise in the countryside can have different levels of impact on the environment. The rapid growth of sports events in the countryside such as mountain bike routes or competitions highlights the need to think about and implement measures that help to prevent or at least minimize their negative environmental impacts or effects. Based on a review of the literature and systematization of the information it contains, this paper demonstrates the existence of two key environmental impact areas that we need to address: loss of vegetation cover and soil erosion. It sets out some practical prevention recommendations such as not creating new sections when designing circuits, or if this has to be done then how their impact can be minimized.